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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28853019">Cocktails, cats and broken toes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphabetgirl/pseuds/alphabetgirl'>alphabetgirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EastEnders (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ben Mitchell Loves Callum "Halfway" Highway, Caring, Cute, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Love, M/M, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:34:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28853019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphabetgirl/pseuds/alphabetgirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben gets drunk. Mischief and hilarity ensues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell, Jay Brown/Lola Pearce</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cocktails, cats and broken toes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Jay and Lola are still together in this and Ben and Callum have their own flat.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a Saturday night in Walford, and Ruby's bar was packed. Kathy had agreed to have Lexi, giving Ben and Callum the chance to go out for drinks with Jay and Lola. Ben and Jay had got the bar first, having headed there straight from the dealership, and had decided to get the party started while they waited for Callum and Lola to arrive. By the time their partners were half way through their first drink, signs of tipsiness had started to appear, closely followed by out and out drunkenness. </p><p>"Where's Ben gone, now?" Callum asked. "I can't see him by the bar,". </p><p>"Gents?" Lola suggested.</p><p>"Nah, I've just come from there," Callum answered, eyes scouring the dance floor. </p><p>"I dared him to do a strip dance on the roof of Jack's car," Jay said nonchalantly, using his finger to trace patterns in a puddle of spilled beer on the table. </p><p>"What?!," Callum asked, horrified. "Why would you do that?" Ben found it hard to resist a dare when he was sober and tonight he had downed an absolute skin full. </p><p>"Oh, nevermind," he muttered before hightailing it out of the bar to go and find his fiance. </p><p>"Seriously, how much did you two drink before we got here? Lola asked. </p><p>"Three pints," Jay replied, holding up four fingers "and than a vodka shot. And then a pitcher of cocktail that looked disgusting and tasted even more disgusting but we drank it anyway, and then..."</p><p>"Alright, alright, I get the idea,".</p><p><br/>Callum returned just then, pretty much carrying a sulking Ben. </p><p>"You caught him in time then?" Lola smirked as Callum sat his squirming partner down in the booth next to her.</p><p>"Only just," Callum sighed as he set about trying to fasten the first three buttons on the other man's shirt. "Ben, I really don't need your help with this," he complained as the other's clumsy attempts to assist led to him buttoning them up wrong.</p><p><br/>"Jack!" Ben called, seeing his neighbour walking past their table. "Your car alarm is going off,"</p><p>"Shhh!" Callum hissed as the younger man dissolved into laughter. </p><p>Jack gave them all a dark look before dashing outside at the speed of light to check on his car. </p><p>"What caused the two of you to get drunk so quickly anyway," Lola enquired.</p><p>"We were celebrating," Ben answered while Callum carried on fixing his shirt. </p><p>"Celebrating what?"</p><p>"Me and Callum being engaged," </p><p>"You've been engaged for three months. How long are you going to keep celebrating for?"</p><p>"I'm going to celebrate being with Callum every day," Ben said earnestly, earning himself a kiss on the cheek from the man in question. </p><p>"Awww," Jay cooed, ending with a hiccup.</p><p>"I'll go and get you a bottle of water, see if we can't sober you up a bit," Callum said to Ben, dropping a kiss onto the top of the younger man's head. </p><p>Ben was too engrossed in trying to make a tower out of slightly soggy beer mats to hear. </p><p>"Can you get one for Jay as well?" Lola called asked. Callum nodded and started walking off towards the bar.</p><p>Sensing his boyfriend's departure, Ben's head snapped up, his beer mat tower collapsing and skidding off the table onto the sticky floor. </p><p>"Callum," Ben whimpered, watching his fiance weave his way through the crowds and out of sight. </p><p>"He's left me," he whispered sadly, looking down at his lap.</p><p>"Oh Ben," Lola chuckled affectionately "It's alright, he's..."</p><p>She was cut off by the young Mitchell's chin beginning to wobble, before he burst into tears a split second later. </p><p>"Ben!," Lola cried, giggling at his dramatics and pulling him into a hug. She was half expecting to be pushed away, but instead be latched on to her and clung on for dear life. "It's OK. He's coming back. He is just getting you a drink of water,". Her attempts at sounding comforting were no doubt being ruined by the fact that she couldn't stop laughing. </p><p>"Ben's upset," Jay announced.</p><p>Lola snorted because that took stating the obvious to a whole new level.  </p><p>"He's fine, darling," she replied "He has just got himself upset because Callum has walked off," she rubbed the sobbing man's back. "Come on, Ben. You are not usually a weepy drunk,".</p><p>Unlike Jay, who was a sympathetic crier at the best of times when it came to his family. Now, his eyes were starting to well up as he took in his distraught brother. "Ben's upset," he repeated, this time with a whimper.</p><p>"Oh, don't you bloody start as well," Lola grumbled.</p><p>Thankfully, Callum appeared at that moment. </p><p>"What happened?" He asked panickedly, as he set two bottles of water down on the table. </p><p>"He thought that you left him," Lola explained as she transferred the still crying Ben into his lover's waiting arms. </p><p>"Oh for God's sake, I was only getting you some water," Callum sighed fondly, cuddling his fiance tightly and pressing kisses to his hair. "Honestly, you can be so daft sometimes,".</p><p>"I'm not daft," Ben pouted as Callum used his sleeve to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "You're daft," </p><p>"Whatever," Callum twisted the cap off the nearest bottle of water "Drink some of this,". </p><p>Ben eyed the bottle suspiciously. </p><p>"Is it alcohol?"</p><p>"Yes," Callum lied easily. </p><p>Ben eagerly grabbed it, sloshing some of it on himself in the process before proceeding to down half of it in one go. </p><p><br/>"The water doesn't seem to have helped much," Callum grunted fifteen minutes later, trying to push Ben out of the door in front of him. </p><p>"Do you think?," Lola asked sarcastically as she tried to prevent Jay from pulling her back to their vacated table. </p><p>"Hopefully, the night air might do the trick," Callum replied hopefully, tickling Ben's under arm to make him let go of the door frame. </p><p>"You're mean," Ben scowled as the four of them stumbled onto the street. </p><p>"I know," Callum sighed sympathetically, wrapping his arm around the smaller man's shoulders and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I know I am. You have told me that about five times since I told you that we were leaving,". <br/> <br/>"The alcohol is inside, so why are we walking outside," Ben asked, squirming in his fiance's grasp as Callum shepherded him along the pavement. </p><p>"Because you have had enough alcohol in one night to last you a month," Callum replied firmly, adjusting his grip.</p><p>"Oi! I told you not to use your police restraint training on me unless we're getting frisky in the bedroom," </p><p>Callum blushed, because the Mitchell couldn't of said that any louder if he tried. Behind him, Lola started cackling hysterically. </p><p>"Do you have your handcuffs, Officer Truncheon?" Ben enquired in a seductive voice before stumbling. It was only Callum's tight hold around his waist that stopped him face planting the ground. </p><p>"Concentrate. One foot in front of the other,".</p><p>"Rude," Ben muttered. "I know how to walk,". </p><p>"Mmhmm,". </p><p>"Look, there's Mars," Ben shouted excitedly, pointing to the other side of the square and then, bizarrely, waving. "Mars is out tonight,".</p><p>"Mars is in the sky, Ben," Callum replied patiently "Up,". </p><p>Ben stared at him as if he was a complete idiot. </p><p>"I wasn't referring to the planet," he said loudly. "I was talking about the massive zit on Jack Branning's forehead. I can see it from here,". </p><p>"And you wonder why he doesn't like you," Lola muttered. </p><p>"I want a mars bar," Jay chimed in.</p><p>Lola rolled her eyes elaborately. "Will you be alright getting him home?" she asked.</p><p>"Yeah, we'll be fine," Callum replied, wrapping his arm around his fiance when he snuggled into his side. </p><p>"O.K. Text me when you get in," Lola called as she started to lead Jay off in the opposite direction. </p><p>"Right, just you and me, Trouble," Callum murmured, turning Ben in the direction of home. </p><p>"Cat!" Ben yelled, catching sight of a tortoiseshell on the other side of the street, sitting by one of the lampposts and licking it's paw. Startled by the loud voice, it froze in what it was doing, staring at them with wide eyes before turning on the spot and fleeing down a nearby alley.</p><p>Ben made to run after it, only stopped by Callum grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the pavement. </p><p>"No, Ben.". </p><p>"But I want to pet it,". </p><p>"No," Callum repeated firmly. "I'm not letting you chase the poor little thing,". </p><p>"But," Ben pouted, staring sadly in the direction that the cat had ran off in. "But...fluffy..."</p><p>"Yes, I know," Callum said soothingly, guiding his fiance along the pavement. "I know. Fluffy,". </p><p>"I want a fluffy," Ben whispered. </p><p>"A fluffy what?" </p><p>"A fluffy anything," Ben replied earnestly.</p><p>Callum smirked because his future husband was such a softie deep down.</p><p>"O.K. We'll discuss that in the morning,". </p><p>"And I want another drink,".</p><p>"You've just had about ten,". </p><p>"I don't like even numbers. I'm going back for my 11th," Ben decided, trying to walk back towards the bar. </p><p>"No, we are going home," Callum responded, tugging him along behind him. To be honest, the older man was tempted to just fling his fiance over his shoulder and carry him the rest of the way home, but given how much alcohol that Ben had drank, being suddenly upended like that would probably make him vomit. </p><p>"I want another drink," Ben demanded, stamping his foot. </p><p>"You have already said that, sweetheart," Callum said calmly. "And you can have one,". </p><p>Ben blinked at him, suprised at winning the argument so quickly. </p><p>"I can?"</p><p>"Yes, you can. You can have a nice drink of tea when we get home,". </p><p>Ben's hopeful expression turned to one of fury.</p><p>"No!" He yelled again, stamping his foot again. Albeit this time, thanks to an alcohol fuelled lack of coordination, he accidentally kicked a nearby post box. </p><p>"Owww!" Ben wailed, collapsing to the pavement dramatically, sitting down in a big puddle and cradling his foot.</p><p>"Aww, Sweetheart," Callum murmured sympathetically, running his fingers through the younger man's hair.</p><p>"That post box just attacked me," Ben cried, jerking his head away "What are you standing around for? You're a police officer. Arrest it!". </p><p>"Actually, I think that you'll find that you attacked the poor innocent post box," Callum muttered, stooping down and sliding both hands under his boyfriend's arms. "Come on. Get up,". </p><p>"I can't,".</p><p>"You can,"</p><p>Trying to haul his boyfriend up proved to be more difficult than first thought with Ben being as uncooperative as he could manage, remaining as limp and heavy as possible. It was as if he had suddenly been filled with rocks. </p><p>"Ben, please." Callum pleaded, giving up on his attempt and crouching down to try to reason with him.</p><p>"I can't walk. My toe is badly broken," </p><p>"Oh for...Ben, it will just be a bit bruised,". </p><p>Ben gave him an unimpressed look.</p><p>Callum's phone chimed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check while he considered his next move.</p><p>
  <strong>Are you home yet? x - L</strong>
</p><p>'No, we're bloody not' Callum thought to himself. </p><p>"How about you get up and come home with me, and I'll rub your poorly foot for you before you go to sleep,". </p><p>Ben folded his arms and looked away. "No!". </p><p>"I might even throw in a back rub as well," Callum bribed.</p><p>Ben glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and Callum knew that he was winning, albeit slowly.</p><p>"And you'll watch Cats with me tomorrow?"</p><p>"Yes I'll watch Cats with you tomorrow," Callum replied, while groaning internally. He could only hope that Ben would forget that part of the deal by the time morning rolled around. </p><p>"OK," Ben said brightly and picked himself up, striding purposefully towards their flat. </p><p>"So your toe is feeling better then?" Callum enquired cheekily. </p><p>The other man gave him a dark look over his shoulder before making a show of hobbling the rest of the way. </p><p>"Hurry up. I'm cold," Ben complained as Callum struggled to find the right key for their front door.</p><p>"That's probably because you decided to sit down in a puddle,"</p><p>"Babe, why is the pavement sparkly?"</p><p>Callum glanced over to see the younger man crouching down a few yards away, studying the paving slabs intensely.</p><p>"I think it's just frost, darlin'"</p><p>"It's pretty,"</p><p>"Yep, very pretty," Callum murmured distractedly as he finally managed to get the door unlocked. "We need some WD40 in this. It is getting stiff," he thought out loud. </p><p>Ben didn't respond, too busy sketching patterns in the frost with his forefinger. </p><p>"Nevermind," Callum muttered walking over to him. </p><p>Ben looked up, and then wobbled, falling backwards onto the pavement with a dazed expression. </p><p>Callum  smiled affectionately when he saw what Ben had been drawing. B+C+L with a heart etched around it. </p><p>"Ready to go in?" He asked his lover once he had taken a snap of the other man's 'artwork' with his phone.</p><p>Ben responded by smiling and holding his arms up like a child, wanting a carry. </p><p>"You are lucky that you are so cute," Callum grunted as he scooped him up and carried him into their flat, kicking the door closed behind him.</p><p>"You are cuter," Ben mumbled. </p><p>"No, you're cuter,"</p><p>Ben frowned.</p><p>"No, you're cuter,".</p><p>"You are cuter," Callum insisted as they reached the bedroom and threw his fiance down on the mattress. </p><p>He quickly regretted those actions when Ben turned a sickly shade of green and clutched at his stomach. </p><p>"Gonna be sick?" Callum asked, looking around frantically for the waste paper bin. </p><p>"No, no, I'm fine," Ben replied, recovering himself. "Just don't do that again,".</p><p>Callum handed him the bin. He had emptied it just that morning, knowing that one of them would probably need it after their night out. </p><p>"Just in case," he said softly as he set about stripping the smaller man's soggy jeans off.</p><p>"How is your toe," he asked as he carefully peeled the sock off. </p><p>"Sore," Ben complained.</p><p>"Awww, sweetheart, you've got a bruise coming up already," Callum crooned sympathetically, pressing a featherlight kiss to the red mark and feeling guilt flood his stomach. Maybe he had underestimated how badly Ben had hurt himself?</p><p>"Can you bend it?" he asked. </p><p>Ben didn't respond, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands and yawning. </p><p>Chuckling affectionately, Callum swiped his forefinger down his future husband's sole, causing all five toes, including the 'badly broken' one to scrunch up tightly.</p><p>"Oi!" Ben gave a startled yelp and tried to pull his foot away. </p><p>"It's not broken. It's just bruised so it will hurt for a few.days but you'll be fine," Callum reassured him as he started to give him the promised foot rub.</p><p>"M'kay," Ben mumbled "Can you help?"</p><p>"Help with what?" </p><p>"Just help,"</p><p>"Oh," </p><p>As his gaze fell on his lover, Callum realised what the problem was. While he had been dealing with his toe, the younger man had been trying to take his jacket off. And he had failed miserably, judging by the fact that he was now thoroughly tangled in it. </p><p>"How did you even manage this?," Callum muttered as he managed to wrangle his boyfriend out of the garment and hung it on the wardrobe door. </p><p>"I'll get you a glass of water," he murmured softly, pressing a kiss to the other man's cheek. </p><p>He texted Lola to let them know that they were home safely once he got to the kitchen, and noticed that he also had a message from Jack.</p><p>
  <strong>There are a pair of Ben sized footprints on the roof of my car. Know anything about that? - J</strong>
</p><p>Callum's brow furrowed because how could Jack know that they were Ben's? He turned the tap on and filled a glass with water before replying. </p><p>
  <strong>What size are they? - C</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I don't know. I don't work in Clark's shoe shop - J</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Can you guess? - C</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>A bit smaller than mine. So size 10 - J</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Nope, Ben's a size 9 so it couldn't have been him. :) - C</strong>
</p><p>So that was a lie. Ben was a size 10 but Jack wouldn't know that.  Even if Callum had admitted that was his boyfriend's size Jack wouldn't be able to prove that it was him. There must be at least fifteen people living in the Square with size 10 feet. </p><p>He had only just pressed send when another incoming message pinged, this time from Ben. Wow, he was popular tonight. </p><p>
  <strong>cvim bvgj ta bge xxxxx - B</strong>
</p><p>Whatever that meant. He didn't have to wonder for long though before Ben started ringing him.</p><p>"Come back to bed," Ben ordered sternly as soon as he answered, earning a soft chuckle. </p><p>"I'm on my way, your royal highness,". </p><p>He returned to the bedroom only to discover that his impatient future husband had disappeared, the space he had occupied on the bed now empty. The violent retching from the bathroom gave his location away though, which is where Callum went too. </p><p>"Callum, am I dying?" Ben asked, lifting his head from the toilet bowl and squinting when the bathroom light was turned on. </p><p>"No, you're not, sweetheart," Callum replied soothingly, crouching down behind the other man and rubbing his back softly as the other man began to heave again. "Although, you'll feel like you are tomorrow,"</p><p>A pained groan was all he got in response. </p><p>"Just take it easy, deep breaths," </p><p>"Callum?" Ben asked, once the bout of vomiting was over and the man in question was wiping his hot and flushed face and neck with a cool cloth. </p><p>"Hmmm?" </p><p>"I think that I might have drank too much,".</p><p>"Whatever gives you that idea?"</p><p>"I'm sorry," Ben mumbled, expression guilty and apologetic. </p><p>"Hey, come on," Callum said gently, running a hand through his hair, smiling when Ben leant into the touch like a cat. Or a fluffy, Callum thought to himself with a snicker.</p><p>"You don't need to be sorry. We all do it from time and time, and it's been quite amusing actually" </p><p>Ben gave him a small but genuine smile. </p><p>"There we go, that's better," Callum carried on stroking his hair "How are you feeling?"</p><p>"Still a bit rubbish," </p><p>The older man made a sympathetic noise, gently scratching behind his fiance's ear.</p><p>"Have you finished being sick for now, do you think?"</p><p>Ben nodded.</p><p>"Shall we get you back to bed, then? You'll probably start feeling better once you're all cosy,"</p><p>Ben smiled and let Callum help him up off the bathroom floor and guide him back to the bed.</p><p>"There. Comfy?" Callum asked fondly once he had laid him down on the mattress. </p><p>Ben fidgeted "Not really" he complained, pulling one of his socks out from under his back, where he had been lying on it and dropping it on the floor disdainfully before snuggling down under the covers.</p><p>"Is Ben happy now?" Callum asked as he adjusted the duvet, tucking him in more securely. </p><p>"No," came the moody reply. "You are not lying next to me,".</p><p>As soon as he slid into bed next to the smaller man, Ben immediately snuggled close, trying to bury his face in the crook of his neck.</p><p>"Nope. That's not happening," Callum said, gently but firmly as he rolled his fiance over so he was facing the other way. </p><p>"The bin is right underneath you," he said, cuddling him from behind.</p><p>"OK," </p><p>"Goodnight then," </p><p>"Night,".</p><p>Ben lay still and silent for a few seconds and then;</p><p>"Babe?"</p><p>Callum smiled into the other man's hair. "Hmm?"</p><p>"I still think that you should have arrested that post box,".</p><p>"I tried, but it ran off. I'll look for it tomorrow,". </p><p>"OK,"</p><p>"Are you going to go to sleep now?"</p><p>"Yep," Ben replied, snuggling further under the covers, humming happily when the older man began to stroke his side to try to lull him into sleep.</p><p>A few more seconds of silence ticked by. </p><p>"Cal?"</p><p>Callum let out a mock sigh. "What?"</p><p>"I love you," </p><p>Callum pressed a kiss to his ear.</p><p>"I love you too, Trouble," </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br/> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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